The present invention relates generally to a music performance assisting technique of illuminating visual display units corresponding to keys to be operated so as to provide a visual guide for a player's manual performance, and more particularly to a music performance assisting system which is suited for use in executing an adlib performance with pitches well conforming to a designated chord or the like.
Electronic musical instruments, such as electronic pianos, have been widely used in recent years on which a player can play a desired melody with a background automatic performance. Among various examples of such known electronic pianos are ones provided with a "music performance assisting system" which typically includes luminous visual display units, such as light emitting diodes, provided in corresponding relations to individual keys on the keyboard and where predetermined ones of the visual display units for the keys to be depressed in a desired melody performance are sequentially turned on or lit in accordance with progression of an automatic performance. With such a music performance assisting system, the desired melody performance can be executed accurately by just depressing one key after another as visually designated by the lighting of the corresponding display units.
However, the conventionally known performance assisting systems are completely useless or unsatisfactory when used in performing a melody adlib rather than in a predetermined manner. Further, in the adlib performance, it is important to accurately select tone pitches conforming to each designated chord or the like, but such an accurate pitch selection was very difficult to even considerably experienced players.